Students Protest Violence In Burma

Halfway across the world from Myanmar, where monks have been protesting against the military government, Harvard students gathered in support of ending police violence against the protesters.

Held on Friday afternoon, the event was organized by a Harvard senior who is president of the Burma Action Movement, an unofficial group of Harvard students who support a peaceful resolution to the situation in Myanmar.

The group’s president uses the pseudonym “Shanti Maung” to protect relatives still living in Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma, where she was born.

Maung welcomed supporters in front of the John Harvard statue, which had been adorned with a Burmese flag and a picture of Buddha. Two Buddhist nuns began the rally with a prayer and then led students out into Harvard Square.

“I think [the nuns] were the most motivating factor,” said rally participant Tian Feng ’11. “The dedication that they showed was similar to that shown by the monks in Burma, and that really moved me.”

In the Square, State Rep. Byron D. Rushing ’64, D-Boston, spoke about House Bill 2729, which he introduced recently. Known as the Massachusetts Burma Bill, the legislation would allow the Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management Board to urge companies to stop doing business in Myanmar and to suspend state pension fund investments in companies that are doing business in the country until a democratically elected government comes to power.

Other speakers included Northeast Regional Director of Amnesty International USA Joshua Rubenstein as well as Aung Kyaw, who participated in the 1988 anti-government protests in Myanmar. Aung Kyaw does not use his last name in order to protect his identity from the Burmese government.

But the students’ message may not have been completely clear to observers.

“I wasn’t sure why they were marching,” said Mohan Narasimhan, a Cambridge Technology Enterprises employee who saw the rally while walking through the Square.

Pro-democracy protests against Myanmar’s military government have been occurring since mid-August. The protests turned deadly last Wednesday when Burmese police opened fire on monks and other protesters.

Members of Harvard’s Burma Action Movement will be holding an informational meeting today and will visit the Massachusetts State House on Thursday to encourage legislators to vote in favor of the Massachusetts Burma Bill.

“I hope that as a community we can get these petitions out, get the legislation signed, and get divestment to occur,” said rally participant Colette S. Perold ’11. “Of course, the long-term goal is that the conflict ends and the government is no longer in power.”